Introduction to the Dependency Mechanism – Maven (original) (raw)

Dependency management is a core feature of Maven. Managing dependencies for a single project is easy. Managing dependencies for multi-module projects and applications that consist of hundreds of modules is possible. Maven helps a great deal in defining, creating, and maintaining reproducible builds with well-defined classpaths and library versions.

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Transitive Dependencies

Maven avoids the need to discover and specify the libraries that your own dependencies require by including transitive dependencies automatically.

This feature is facilitated by reading the project files of your dependencies from the remote repositories specified. In general, all dependencies of those projects are used in your project, as are any that the project inherits from its parents, or from its dependencies, and so on.

There is no limit to the number of levels that dependencies can be gathered from. A problem arises only if a cyclic dependency is discovered.

With transitive dependencies, the graph of included libraries can quickly grow quite large. For this reason, there are additional features that limit which dependencies are included:

Although transitive dependencies can implicitly include desired dependencies, it is a good practice to explicitly specify the dependencies your source code uses directly. This best practice proves its value especially when the dependencies of your project change their dependencies.

For example, assume that your project A specifies a dependency on another project B, and project B specifies a dependency on project C. If you are directly using components in project C, and you don't specify project C in your project A, it may cause build failure when project B suddenly updates/removes its dependency on project C.

Another reason to directly specify dependencies is that it provides better documentation for your project: one can learn more information by just reading the POM file in your project, or by executing mvn dependency:tree.

Maven also provides dependency:analyze plugin goal for analyzing the dependencies: it helps making this best practice more achievable.

Dependency Scope

Dependency scope is used to limit the transitivity of a dependency and to determine when a dependency is included in a classpath.

There are 6 scopes:

Each of the scopes (except for import) affects transitive dependencies in different ways, as is demonstrated in the table below. If a dependency is set to the scope in the left column, a transitive dependency of that dependency with the scope across the top row results in a dependency in the main project with the scope listed at the intersection. If no scope is listed, it means the dependency is omitted.

compile provided runtime test
compile compile(*) - runtime -
provided provided - provided -
runtime runtime - runtime -
test test - test -

(*) Note: it is intended that this should be runtime scope instead, so that all compile dependencies must be explicitly listed. However, if a library you depend on extends a class from another library, both must be available at compile time. For this reason, compile time dependencies remain as compile scope even when they are transitive.

Dependency Management

The dependency management section is a mechanism for centralizing dependency information. When you have a set of projects that inherit from a common parent, it's possible to put all information about the dependency in the common POM and have simpler references to the artifacts in the child POMs. The mechanism is best illustrated through some examples. Given these two POMs which extend the same parent:

Project A:


<project>
  ...
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>group-a</groupId>
      <artifactId>artifact-a</artifactId>
      <version>1.0</version>
      <exclusions>
        <exclusion>
          <groupId>group-c</groupId>
          <artifactId>excluded-artifact</artifactId>
        </exclusion>
      </exclusions>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>group-a</groupId>
      <artifactId>artifact-b</artifactId>
      <version>1.0</version>
      <type>bar</type>
      <scope>runtime</scope>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

Project B:


<project>
  ...
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>group-c</groupId>
      <artifactId>artifact-b</artifactId>
      <version>1.0</version>
      <type>war</type>
      <scope>runtime</scope>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>group-a</groupId>
      <artifactId>artifact-b</artifactId>
      <version>1.0</version>
      <type>bar</type>
      <scope>runtime</scope>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

These two example POMs share a common dependency and each has one non-trivial dependency. This information can be put in the parent POM like this:


<project>
  ...
  <dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>group-a</groupId>
        <artifactId>artifact-a</artifactId>
        <version>1.0</version>

        <exclusions>
          <exclusion>
            <groupId>group-c</groupId>
            <artifactId>excluded-artifact</artifactId>
          </exclusion>
        </exclusions>

      </dependency>

      <dependency>
        <groupId>group-c</groupId>
        <artifactId>artifact-b</artifactId>
        <version>1.0</version>
        <type>war</type>
        <scope>runtime</scope>
      </dependency>

      <dependency>
        <groupId>group-a</groupId>
        <artifactId>artifact-b</artifactId>
        <version>1.0</version>
        <type>bar</type>
        <scope>runtime</scope>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
  </dependencyManagement>
</project>

Then the two child POMs become much simpler:


<project>
  ...
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>group-a</groupId>
      <artifactId>artifact-a</artifactId>
    </dependency>

    <dependency>
      <groupId>group-a</groupId>
      <artifactId>artifact-b</artifactId>
      <!-- This is not a jar dependency, so we must specify type. -->
      <type>bar</type>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

<project>
  ...
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>group-c</groupId>
      <artifactId>artifact-b</artifactId>
      <!-- This is not a jar dependency, so we must specify type. -->
      <type>war</type>
    </dependency>

    <dependency>
      <groupId>group-a</groupId>
      <artifactId>artifact-b</artifactId>
      <!-- This is not a jar dependency, so we must specify type. -->
      <type>bar</type>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

NOTE: In two of these dependency references, we had to specify the element. This is because the minimal set of information for matching a dependency reference against a dependencyManagement section is actually {groupId, artifactId, type, classifier}. In many cases, these dependencies will refer to jar artifacts with no classifier. This allows us to shorthand the identity set to {groupId, artifactId}, since the default for the type field is jar, and the default classifier is null.

A second, and very important use of the dependency management section is to control the versions of artifacts used in transitive dependencies. As an example consider these projects:

Project A:


<project>
 <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
 <groupId>maven</groupId>
 <artifactId>A</artifactId>
 <packaging>pom</packaging>
 <name>A</name>
 <version>1.0</version>
 <dependencyManagement>
   <dependencies>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>test</groupId>
       <artifactId>a</artifactId>
       <version>1.2</version>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>test</groupId>
       <artifactId>b</artifactId>
       <version>1.0</version>
       <scope>compile</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>test</groupId>
       <artifactId>c</artifactId>
       <version>1.0</version>
       <scope>compile</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>test</groupId>
       <artifactId>d</artifactId>
       <version>1.2</version>
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
 </dependencyManagement>
</project>

Project B:


<project>
  <parent>
    <artifactId>A</artifactId>
    <groupId>maven</groupId>
    <version>1.0</version>
  </parent>
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <groupId>maven</groupId>
  <artifactId>B</artifactId>
  <packaging>pom</packaging>
  <name>B</name>
  <version>1.0</version>

  <dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>test</groupId>
        <artifactId>d</artifactId>
        <version>1.0</version>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
  </dependencyManagement>

  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>test</groupId>
      <artifactId>a</artifactId>
      <version>1.0</version>
      <scope>runtime</scope>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>test</groupId>
      <artifactId>c</artifactId>
      <scope>runtime</scope>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

When maven is run on project B, version 1.0 of artifacts a, b, c, and d will be used regardless of the version specified in their POM.

NOTE: The dependency management won't affect the (transitive) dependencies of any plugins used in the same effective POM but only the (transitive) project dependencies.

The reference information about the dependency management tags is available from the project descriptor reference.

Importing Dependencies

The examples in the previous section describe how to specify managed dependencies through inheritance. However, in larger projects it may be impossible to accomplish this since a project can only inherit from a single parent. To accommodate this, projects can import managed dependencies from other projects. This is accomplished by declaring a POM artifact as a dependency with a scope of "import".

Project B:


<project>
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <groupId>maven</groupId>
  <artifactId>B</artifactId>
  <packaging>pom</packaging>
  <name>B</name>
  <version>1.0</version>

  <dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>maven</groupId>
        <artifactId>A</artifactId>
        <version>1.0</version>
        <type>pom</type>
        <scope>import</scope>
      </dependency>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>test</groupId>
        <artifactId>d</artifactId>
        <version>1.0</version>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
  </dependencyManagement>

  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>test</groupId>
      <artifactId>a</artifactId>
      <version>1.0</version>
      <scope>runtime</scope>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>test</groupId>
      <artifactId>c</artifactId>
      <scope>runtime</scope>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

Assuming A is the POM defined in the preceding example, the end result would be the same. All of A's managed dependencies would be incorporated into B except for d since it is defined in this POM.

Project X:


<project>
 <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
 <groupId>maven</groupId>
 <artifactId>X</artifactId>
 <packaging>pom</packaging>
 <name>X</name>
 <version>1.0</version>

 <dependencyManagement>
   <dependencies>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>test</groupId>
       <artifactId>a</artifactId>
       <version>1.1</version>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>test</groupId>
       <artifactId>b</artifactId>
       <version>1.0</version>
       <scope>compile</scope>
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
 </dependencyManagement>
</project>

Project Y:


<project>
 <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
 <groupId>maven</groupId>
 <artifactId>Y</artifactId>
 <packaging>pom</packaging>
 <name>Y</name>
 <version>1.0</version>

 <dependencyManagement>
   <dependencies>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>test</groupId>
       <artifactId>a</artifactId>
       <version>1.2</version>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>test</groupId>
       <artifactId>c</artifactId>
       <version>1.0</version>
       <scope>compile</scope>
     </dependency>
   </dependencies>
 </dependencyManagement>
</project>

Project Z:


<project>
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <groupId>maven</groupId>
  <artifactId>Z</artifactId>
  <packaging>pom</packaging>
  <name>Z</name>
  <version>1.0</version>
 
  <dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>maven</groupId>
        <artifactId>X</artifactId>
        <version>1.0</version>
        <type>pom</type>
        <scope>import</scope>
      </dependency>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>maven</groupId>
        <artifactId>Y</artifactId>
        <version>1.0</version>
        <type>pom</type>
        <scope>import</scope>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
  </dependencyManagement>
</project>

In the example above Z imports the managed dependencies from both X and Y. However, both X and Y contain dependency a. Here, version 1.1 of a would be used since X is declared first and a is not declared in Z's dependencyManagement.

This process is recursive. For example, if X imports another POM, Q, when Z is processed it will simply appear that all of Q's managed dependencies are defined in X.

Bill of Materials (BOM) POMs

Imports are most effective when used for defining a "library" of related artifacts that are generally part of a multiproject build. It is fairly common for one project to use one or more artifacts from these libraries. However, it has sometimes been difficult to keep the versions in the project using the artifacts in synch with the versions distributed in the library. The pattern below illustrates how a "bill of materials" (BOM) can be created for use by other projects.

The root of the project is the BOM POM. It defines the versions of all the artifacts that will be created in the library. Other projects that wish to use the library should import this POM into the dependencyManagement section of their POM.


<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <groupId>com.test</groupId>
  <artifactId>bom</artifactId>
  <version>1.0.0</version>
  <packaging>pom</packaging>
  <properties>
    <project1Version>1.0.0</project1Version>
    <project2Version>1.0.0</project2Version>
  </properties>
 
  <dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>com.test</groupId>
        <artifactId>project1</artifactId>
        <version>${project1Version}</version>
      </dependency>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>com.test</groupId>
        <artifactId>project2</artifactId>
        <version>${project2Version}</version>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
  </dependencyManagement>
 
  <modules>
    <module>parent</module>
  </modules>
</project>

The parent subproject has the BOM POM as its parent. It is a normal multiproject pom.


<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
     xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <parent>
    <groupId>com.test</groupId>
    <version>1.0.0</version>
    <artifactId>bom</artifactId>
  </parent>

  <groupId>com.test</groupId>
  <artifactId>parent</artifactId>
  <version>1.0.0</version>
  <packaging>pom</packaging>

  <dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>log4j</groupId>
        <artifactId>log4j</artifactId>
        <version>1.2.12</version>
      </dependency>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>commons-logging</groupId>
        <artifactId>commons-logging</artifactId>
        <version>1.1.1</version>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
  </dependencyManagement>
  <modules>
    <module>project1</module>
    <module>project2</module>
  </modules>
</project>

Next are the actual project POMs.


<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
     xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <parent>
    <groupId>com.test</groupId>
    <version>1.0.0</version>
    <artifactId>parent</artifactId>
  </parent>
  <groupId>com.test</groupId>
  <artifactId>project1</artifactId>
  <version>${project1Version}</version>
  <packaging>jar</packaging>

  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>log4j</groupId>
      <artifactId>log4j</artifactId>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
     xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <parent>
    <groupId>com.test</groupId>
    <version>1.0.0</version>
    <artifactId>parent</artifactId>
  </parent>
  <groupId>com.test</groupId>
  <artifactId>project2</artifactId>
  <version>${project2Version}</version>
  <packaging>jar</packaging>

  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>commons-logging</groupId>
      <artifactId>commons-logging</artifactId>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

The project that follows shows how the library can now be used in another project without having to specify the dependent project's versions.

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
     xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
  <groupId>com.test</groupId>
  <artifactId>use</artifactId>
  <version>1.0.0</version>
  <packaging>jar</packaging>

  <dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>com.test</groupId>
        <artifactId>bom</artifactId>
        <version>1.0.0</version>
        <type>pom</type>
        <scope>import</scope>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
  </dependencyManagement>
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>com.test</groupId>
      <artifactId>project1</artifactId>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>com.test</groupId>
      <artifactId>project2</artifactId>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

Finally, when creating projects that import dependencies, beware of the following:

Starting from Maven 4.0, a new specific BOM packaging has been introduced. It allows defining a BOMs which are not used as parent in a project leveraging the newer 4.1.0 model, while still providing full compatibility with Maven 3.X clients and projects. This BOM packaging is translated into a more usual POM packaging at installation / deployment time, leveraging the build/consumer POM feature from Maven 4. This thus provides full compatibility with Maven 3.x.


<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.1.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.1.0 https://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.1.0.xsd">
  <parent>
    <groupId>com.test</groupId>
    <version>1.0.0</version>
    <artifactId>parent</artifactId>
  </parent>
  <groupId>com.test</groupId>
  <artifactId>bom</artifactId>
  <version>1.0.0</version>
  <packaging>bom</packaging>
  <properties>
    <project1Version>1.0.0</project1Version>
    <project2Version>1.0.0</project2Version>
  </properties>
  <dependencyManagement>
    <dependencies>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>com.test</groupId>
        <artifactId>project1</artifactId>
        <version>${project1Version}</version>
      </dependency>
      <dependency>
        <groupId>com.test</groupId>
        <artifactId>project2</artifactId>
        <version>${project2Version}</version>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
  </dependencyManagement>
 </project>

System Dependencies

Important note: This is deprecated.

Dependencies with the scope system are not looked up in the Maven repository system. Instead the dependency element contains a systemPath pointing to a jar on the local file system.

The system scope is commonly used to tell Maven about dependencies provided by the JDK or the VM. System dependencies are especially useful for resolving dependencies on artifacts which are now provided by the JDK, but were available as separate downloads earlier. A typical examples is the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS):


<project>
  ...
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>javax.security</groupId>
      <artifactId>jaas</artifactId>
      <version>1.0.01</version>
      <scope>system</scope>
      <systemPath>${java.home}/lib/rt.jar</systemPath>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
  ...
</project>

If your artifact is provided by the JDK's tools.jar, the system path would be defined as follows:

<project>
  ...
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>sun.jdk</groupId>
      <artifactId>tools</artifactId>
      <version>1.5.0</version>
      <scope>system</scope>
      <systemPath>${java.home}/../lib/tools.jar</systemPath>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
  ...
</project>